


Just Fine

by HollowRosewood



Series: Bears Reign [1]
Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: But its pretty minimal, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Physical Abuse, Post-Scorpia Rising, abuse is still abuse tho lbr, alex doesn’t know how to deal with emotions, eagle is just... eagle, snakes just trying to figure out how to deal with a teenager, they’re working on getting better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 02:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17820371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowRosewood/pseuds/HollowRosewood
Summary: The young boy grabbed his covers and threw them over his head, blocking out the light that came through his window and shielding himself from the outside world. He didn’t care about Snake or Eagle, Fox could be off doing whatever, Wolf could continue to throw slurs and insults his way, Bear could push and shove all he wanted- it didn’t change a damn thing.Jack was gone and she wasn’t coming back.—————In which Alex moves in with the K-Unit and everyone’s trying to pick up the broken pieces while an unwanted guest is throwing down glass.





	Just Fine

**Author's Note:**

> Warning again for physical abuse, mentions, references and implied physical abuse as well as visible bruising. And Spongebob.

Alex Rider buried his face into the pillow, arms snug around the plush and he couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan. He would never understand why he had to stay with the K-Unit and he had reached the point where he no longer wanted to know now that he didn’t have the energy to care. Alex was overwhelmed and exhausted, the past year running him ragged- he had had the energy, had the will, but the last mission destroyed whatever little bit of him was left. To the young spy, his life was over- regardless of whether he was still physically living. So if he decided it was all over, then he didn’t give a damn about the K-Unit, didn’t bother asking questions- could no longer be bothered with the _why._  


The original plan was to go to America and live a new life with the Pleasures somewhere in California and away from the British Government. Alex only scoffed at that, knowing that he would never actually be left alone, and being in America only granted the CIA easier access to him. _“We would never employ a child,”_ Alex was told when they arranged for his Visa, _“We find the actions of your government deplorable.”_

“Sure,” Alex had thought in retort while he silently filled out the paperwork. “You’ll just water board a child instead. Or maybe we can ask Tom Turner and Belinda Troy how they feel.” 

The reminder of the two now deceased agents sent a shiver down Alex’s spine and his grip on the pillowcase tightened, his head burrowing just a little deeper. Maybe he could suffocate himself, it would be better then the situation he was currently trapped in. For whatever reason, his paperwork got pulled back and rather than going to the United States, he was thrown back to the soldiers and got caught with the same unit as before.

This was where Alex stopped asking questions and decided he didn’t give much of a shit anymore. Brecon Beacons was nothing more than a simple training camp and these men had qualified and should have moved forward in their careers by now. Fox had moved on to becoming an agent, Wolf was a groundsman at Point Blank, and though Alex wasn’t sure of the other two- surely, they must have been somewhat successful. The young spy was still confused, even after living in Snake’s home for quite some time- he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. It wasn’t until he was eavesdropping on a conversation between the members of the unit complaining about ‘babysitting duty.’

Oh. 

Alex finally picked up his head, resting his cheek on the back of his hand as his eyes wandered the bare guest room that was slowly becoming his. He had found out over the past few weeks that K-Unit had kept themselves in a closely knit circle and had made the choice to stay together. The flat they were staying in belonged to Snake, or Scott Porter as the bills said when Alex got a peak at them. Snake and Eagle were polite, but were often busy with their own respective careers and tended to ignore him and leave him be- for which Alex was grateful for until Wolf and Bear showed up. Fox wasn’t there, replaced by the nightmare fuel that had been Bear. This new and young recruit was ruthless, like the movie-esque high school bully that never got reprimanded, but instead encouraged for his behavior. Alex wondered, vaguely, if it was envy- but he wouldn’t dare say that out loud.  


The thought did make him smirk, causing him to bury his face again into the pillow. Good, that fucker should be envious. The smile then faltered as he didn’t need the memories to recall the dangers of envy, the aches and bruises on his arms would do that just fine.  


Wolf was still present, making himself comfortable in the room two doors down from Alex’s and he was the one that left Alex the most confused. Alex was used to Bear, it was a little worse then what had previously happened with the SAS, but at least it was consistent. Wolf, on the other hand, was all over the place. Despite what happened at Point Blanc, despite the card he had sent when he was shot, the man had made a point to remain an asshole.  


The young boy grabbed his covers and threw them over his head, blocking out the light that came through his window and shielding himself from the outside world. He didn’t care about Snake or Eagle, Fox could be off doing whatever, Wolf could continue to throw slurs and insults his way, Bear could push and shove all he wanted- it didn’t change a damn thing. 

Jack was gone and she wasn’t coming back. 

He felt a sharp prickling behind his eyes, his chest suddenly constricting and he felt like he was suffocating. Fuck, fuck. He told himself not to think of her. The muscles in his back tensed and his pillow was clutched in his grip as he tried to pull himself together again.

"Get up brat.” demanded a rough voice following the loud bang of his door whacking the wall, interrupting his thoughts for better or for worse. He wondered if the doorknob left a hole.

Alex sighed heavily, not needing to move to know exactly who stood in his doorway and he couldn’t bother to look- it wasn’t the first sight any teenager wanted to see in the morning.

“Why?” The boy asked from under the covers, the brief thought of Jack having thrown him off and sent his somewhat okay mood spiraling. He knew why, he knew what the plans are and knew why he had to get up- but the memories he had unlocked from the chest buried so deep and clung to him like shackles, rendering him immobile.

“Don’t be disrespectful,” Bear scolded, taking a few steps into the room and began approaching the bed. “Take that damn cover off when I’m talking to you, and you listen to your Commanders. We wouldn’t have issues if you weren’t so fucking stubborn.” 

Alex rolled his eyes, glad that the sheet was covering his head or that would have earned him quite the smack. Bear was younger then the others, fresh meat from the training ground that was supposed to get morphed into shape by the members of the K Unit- though it was clearly a piss poor job that they were doing. Maybe it was maybe more along the lines of the K-Unit just trying to fill the hole that Fox left behind, another man to help pay the rent. He definitely had some superiority complex and was by no means a Commander, Alex was sure that if he was even remotely legal that he would outrank Bear.  
He was sure the young man knew this too. 

“I’m not moving.” Came the protest from the bed

“Get. Your. Ass. Up!” On the last word, the covers were violently ripped back and Alex couldn’t help but flinch just a bit as the corners of the sheets brushed against his face. “You’re superiors were so kind and gracious as to rent out a boat for us all to go out and you and your ungrateful attitude are coming with us.”

Alex sighed, arms and upper body cold at suddenly being exposed to the air in the room. He slowly sat up, brushing his hair out of his face and turned his attention to the aggravated soldier, watching him with a bored and unamused expression. These antics were exhausting, Bear must have been tired himself- right? Even Eagle seemed to have occasionally run ragged from this young trainee’s aggression. 

“I’m not going on the boat.” The young spy clarified, keeping eye contact with Bear and he could see the suddenly switch, the fire that suddenly burned and turned into an uncontrollable flame. Despite being accustomed to the treatment, there was still a small pit in Alex’s stomach- his body reacting when his mind refused to.  


He knew it would happen before Bear had even moved, but he couldn’t find the energy to fight back. His arm was gripped by the soldier, the SAS trainee forcefully dragging Alex up to his feet and pulling him close to sneer into the young spy’s face. God could he really use a mint. It took every last fibre in his body to stop himself from flipping Bear on his ass, but he couldn’t give in to the satisfaction. As long as Bear believed that he was the stronger one, damage would be minimal. That was something Alex learned rather quickly during an impromptu training session meant for “group bonding.” 

“Why not?” He asked, the question nothing more of a dare. He knew why Alex didn’t want to go, they all did. The boy was never social, depression and anxiety, the unconscious fear of the outside world locking him in his room and tucking him under his sheets- but the primary reason? He hated the lot of them. Why spend more time with them then necessary? Alex did not grant him with an answer, biting his tongue and turning away to avoid the stench. Bear must not have brushed his teeth on purpose, but this was just embarrassing. “No answer? Didn’t think so. Now you fucking listen to me. You’re going to get dressed and you’re going out on the boat, or else I’ll finally get the satisfaction of kicking your ass to hell and back. Got it?” 

Alex, again, didn’t answer with anything but an eye roll which seemed to fuel Bears rage. The man grabbed Alex’s other arm, giving him a forceful shake as short nails dug into the younger boys bicep. _“Got it?”_ He pushed. 

“Yes, yes I got it!” Cub finally said, squirming just a bit to try and get out of Bears hold and finding the man was locked on tight. “But I can’t get dressed unless you let me go, and I don’t have any intentions of changing in front of the likes of you.” 

Bear snarled one last time before shoving Alex away and down to the floor. He took a step back, his arms crossed as he loomed over Alex with a self satisfied grin- as if he was proud of himself for beating up on someone four years his younger. Yeah, defiantly a playground bully compensating for something. 

“Just make it quick Cub, we don’t like waiting.” 

And with that, the man was gone with a loud slam of the door. Alex sighed and finally mustered the effort to rise from the floor, rubbing at his arms with a sour look on his face. He lifted his sleeve, looking into the mirror to catch sight of the forming finger sized bruises on his arm that only darkened the older ones beneath it and he silently scolded Bear. How on earth was he supposed to go to the beach and act normal with these damn bruises on his arms?  


And that right there, was another reason why Alex didn’t want to go. He feared the worst, that he would have to expose himself and the scars that littered his body, give answers to the questions that no one wanted to ask. He was sure that the members of the unit knew, that they had some inkling of what Alex had done for the past two years- especially if Fox and Wolf had kept them updated, but seeing the scars would be like putting a painted picture in front of them. Only some people can visualize words, but everyone can see a canvas.  


Another sigh escaped him, this one heavier as he thought of ways to get out of this situation and hide his body while out on the boat as he changed. Bears questioning and shoving was already out of his mind, having grown numb to such unoriginal accusations. 

“Threaten me with a jellyfish,” Alex muttered bitterly as he pulled a wetsuit shirt over his body, knowing that would work well enough for the time being. “Or maybe with a clone of myself, _then_ we can talk.” 

Alex glanced in the mirror once more and pulled down the sleeve of the wetsuit with a frown, hating that the shirt didn’t go low enough to cover the damage Bear had done. What an idiot. He quickly snatched a white button up from his closet and threw it over, satisfied when the bruises were covered and knowing it would only be short lived- hey, maybe he could keep on the white shirt too. Knowing that Bear was waiting downstairs for him, Alex made a point to take his sweet time. He made his bed, picking up the covers that had been tossed to floor, and he even reorganized his desk just a bit. The spy took an extra five minutes then what he needed before finally sliding his cell phone in his pocket and making his way down the stairs. 

He could smell fresh eggs and pancakes, bacon wafting through the room and he couldn’t stop the slightest of smiles from gracing his lips. Damn, Snake must be cooking. Alex followed the smell into the kitchen, the faint smile disappearing as quickly as it came and he seated himself at the counter. He made a point to avoid looking at Bear who was goading at him from the kitchen table, instead keeping his gaze locked on Snake’s back to watch the unit medic make breakfast. 

“What do you want Cub?” Came the soft drawl from Snake, the man not turning to face the teenager in the room to continue to focus on his cooking. The question was casual enough, but it still threw back the other people in the room. Alex blinked owlishly, his head tilting in surprise before brows furrowing in confusion. He had never been asked what he wanted before, had never been asked anything really. The other members of the unit had a tendency to ignore him and let him be, Snake usually appeasing the requests of the louder voices in the room. Whatever the medic had chosen to make and give him, Alex would be grateful for. 

“I-“ Alex began after finally being able to process what just happened. 

“Answer the soldier!” Bear interrupted, abruptly standing from his seat to step over to the teenager again in similar fashion to the confrontation earlier that morning. “He as-“ 

“He can’t answer if you’re talking over him. Shut up, Bear.” 

The words that came from Snake were not aggressive, they were not angry. They were eerily calm. Both Cub and Bear were rendered speechless and motionless, the two of them actually gaping at each other before Alex’s gaze quickly shot over to Snake. The man still had his back turned, but there was an aura around him that could be felt from miles away. 

“Snak-“ Bear spluttered, taking a step back and turning his body to face the unit medic. Despite his arrogance around Alex, Bear was still the least experienced out of everyone in the household and would be subjected to listen to the orders of those superior to him.

“I told you, William, to _shut up._ ” 

The warning came with a voice of stone and daggers, Snake finally turning to face the man with an unexplainable look in his eye- nothing but cool rage. His composure was frightening and Alex recalled that despite Snakes tenderness when it came to medical attention, he was still a military trained man. Even the spy shrunk back from the icy anger despite its target being someone else. The K Unit had known each other long enough to use their first names, though for whatever reason they still insisted on code names unless they were drunk or serious. It had become a friendly sort of banter, and they had long since been given real aliases if their job ever called for it. It was in situations like these where the real names became the equivalent to a parent scolding a child.

Alex watched as Bear froze on the spot, his cheeks flushing red and various expressions filtered across his face. The man didn’t know what to feel at being reprimanded, which only proved what Alex had been originally thinking. The bully that never got in trouble. Cub scoffed, _‘And Wolf calls me spoiled.’_  


The young soldier couldn’t do much more, not wanting to disobey what he would consider an order but also wanting to try and defend himself- though they all knew there was no viable defense and he would only get shut down again. At seeing Bear deflate, Snake gave a nod of satisfaction and returned to his cooking. 

Bear took that as his cue to leave, making a break for the entrance but not before catching his foot on the leg of Alex’s stool and dragging it out from beneath the boy. Cub tumbled to the ground, wincing as he landed on his rear and felt the smack of his palms against the tiled floor. His arm went up to guard his face from the back of the chair, the kid sighing when the noise finally settled and feeling parts of his body smarting. Alex vaguely heard Snake scolding Bear, but he couldn’t make out the words and they were wasted on empty space- the man was already gone.  


A hand was suddenly stretched out in front of him, the spy staring at it then up to its owner. Slowly he took the medics hand and allowed the doctor to help him to his feet, brushing himself off as Snake moved back to keep watch over the food. 

“Are you alright?” He asked kindly, the cold anger leaving no trace. 

Alex could only answer with silence, even more confused than he had been before and he was plenty lost then. Before giving an answer, he took the time to fix the toppled seat and pat the cushion down- his mind racing. 

“Why did you defend me?” He finally asked, ignoring the previous question that they both knew the answer to. No fall was going to knock him out and his own inquiry felt a little more important. His eyes were locked on Snake’s back, the boy slowly moving around the small island to stand next to him. 

“I don’t like negativity in my household.” Snake returned, flipping a pancake with a little more flare than necessary and patting it down with the spatula. The hiss filled the silence that was left behind, both of the soldiers well aware that the answer was nothing but a false one. Snake seemed to be okay with settling for his own answer, but as the silence went on and the sounds of cooking filled the space between them- his resolve began to crack. His brows furrowed and his patience began to wane, an odd fidget as he continued to adjust his balance. 

Alex couldn’t help but feel an unexpected wave of affection as his gaze softened over the silence. The pink and frilly apron, pancake batter splattered across Snake’s face, the look of troubled concentration- it all felt so domestic. For a moment, Alex saw Scott Porter- the team medic, the surgeon, the man who was brave enough to own a home and house some very wild and unpredictable soldiers. The feeling was fleeting and the moment was gone, Alex realizing with a sigh that he wouldn’t get a straight answer any time soon.

So instead he settled with helping and some of his stresses seemed to dissipate as he did, the domesticity of the situation leaving an unwanted but homey feeling in his gut. He grabbed a few plates and stacked them up on the island for others to serve themselves with, pulling out cups and utensils as well. He knew it wasn’t much help, but Snake had most of the kitchen under control anyway- Alex just felt obligated to do something. 

Then the silence was broken. 

“I saw what he did.” 

Alex froze with utensils still in his hands, feeling his shoulders tense up and his breath catch. He wanted to play it off and he would try to play it off, but he knew that in no way would it work. He went silent for a moment before slowly lowering the forks down onto the counter next to the plates, keeping his back towards Snake. 

“What who did?” 

“Don’t try and bullshit me Cub-“ Snake hissed and Alex couldn’t help but bite down on his bottom lip, his frown growing. Snake never cursed, or at least did his best not to. 

“I’m not bullshitting you.” Alex said, building up his resolve and then turning to face Snake. It almost faltered right then and there. He had expected to see anger and irritation, not kindness and concern. Snake’s gaze was gentle, almost soft and Alex felt something boil inside him- but was unsure of what. He didn’t want the pity, but he didn’t want the anger either and the confusion between the two was suffocating. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

This was the opportunity he would look for, that he thought he was looking for, so it seemed odd to Alex not to take it. Despite the majority of him that lost the ability to care, there was still that one percent that wanted to fight-the little bit left in him that begged for someone to reach out their hand. And Snake was reaching. 

But the a distant memory of Bear that had made its way into Alex’s mind and was pushing the boy farther back. It had been at another one of those ‘bonding sessions’, a check in of sorts to make sure that the men were still physically fit in the case of them being whisked away for active duty. Alex had met Bear in the locker rooms- having been given the option to withdraw from the training, but joining to stop his thoughts from wandering to dangerous places. Perhaps that had been his mistake. Bear had seemed to make up his mind about being infuriated before Cub had even showed up and he had made a point of it during the session. Alex had considered going to their supervisors when he first had his suspicions, considered going to Wolf because surely the man would listen and believe him- but Bear had made it clear that asking for help would only make things worse. 

_“So, they decided to bring in some young hot shot show off.” Bear had snarled, his fists curled around the straps of Alex’s equipment bag and shoving him against the tree. His breath was even worse that day. “Well I think I’m going to make it plenty clear how I feel about that.”_

_“You’ve made it pretty obvious already.” Alex had spat back with a roll of his eyes, only to be rewarded by a hand clenching his jaw with fingers digging into his cheeks. His head was shoved back against the bark with a large thump, stars spotting his vision._

__

_“Listen to me you little brat,” Another jolt for good measure, “You don’t tell a fucking soul about this, or about anything else that’ll happen. You be good? You’ll be fine. You step out of line, and this won’t be the only meeting we have- it’d be a shame if something like this were to happen to a friend of yours. Rumor has it you only have one.”_

Alex knew that the last bit was a bluff, had to be one, but he couldn’t help the bile that rose up in his throat and the anxiety that gripped at his chest as his mind had suddenly drifted to Tom. He had spent the remainder of that hike quietly suffering and biting back his fear. Bear had intended for it to be an insult, couldn’t possibly have access to any of Alex’s information about his personal life, but it still left the spy unnerved. Too many times has that threat been used against him, too many times has that threat come too close for comfort, one too many times has that threat become a reality. 

He was suddenly pulled back to the present, not realizing that his mind had blanked on him and dragged him back to that day. The confrontation had only lasted a minute, but the words still left him on edge and had rendered him silent. Alex glanced around to see what had snapped him back to reality, before realizing that the sleeve of his shirt wasn’t where it was supposed to be. His gaze followed the gentle touch, looking from the steady fingers and following the arm up to meet the green eyes of Scott Porter. 

Busted. 

“You don’t know what I’m talking about, huh?” Snake said, his voice low as a brow arched to cast Alex with a questioning gaze. The young spys heart raced, his cheeks turning a light pink and he tried to pull his arm away. 

Snake didn’t let him go, but his grip wasn’t tight and the majority of pressure was on the boys sleeve. The surgeon lifted the sleeve some more with practice care, ignoring the squirming of Alex Rider before him- taking a better look of the bruises that circled around the young boys bicep. 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone-“ Snake started, not holding on any longer as Alex pulled his arm away with a frown. 

“Because it’s not just Bear.” Alex hissed back, feeling the shock of this very strange morning fade away and replaced by the irritation and anger that he had grown accustomed to. “And it’s not like you or anyone else would have done anything about it.”

He made the choice to keep the threat that Bear had left to himself, letting all of the blame fall on the members of the K Unit and not Alex’s own fear. It was easier that way. He also knew that if he told Snake that Bear had indirectly threatened a civilian, the man would report the abuser right then and there- and as tempting as it would be, the fire under the soldier would only be fueled with revenge. 

Snake glanced down, the hand that had been holding onto Cub was slowly brought back to his side. He silently scolded himself, the feeling of guilt only growing in his core. He knew that he should’ve done something,he knew that he should’ve said something. Not just now, in this new environment and new home that they were all stuck in, but years ago when he had first met Cub. Snake had always felt the lingering guilt, on the quiet nights while he was deployed he remembered the boy soldier that he had trained with. It wasn’t until he got out into the field, until they visited with an American base that all these soldiers were just boys anyway.  


All the K Unit had been told when Cub had first been assigned to them was that he was a troubled kid with parents who wanted to teach him a lesson, they were told to be cold and harsh, that that’s what they were being paid to do. But it didn’t feel right and it never did. And even with that guilt, he was foolish enough to let that same behavior return years later- despite knowing the wiser. This was a teenager for god sakes, Snake should have known better. Damn his pride and damn his orders. He wondered if he had changed his behavior, if he had apologized right off the bat and had told the truth, that things would be different with Cub. He wondered if he had the chance, and he lost it. But Cub… Cub when he first arrived had been so cold, had been angry and shut off, had wanted nothing to do with the K Unit and Snake thought that Alex had just needed the space.

Little did he know that it was being invaded by Bear anyway. 

“I’m sorry Cub.” Snake said, once more breaking the heavy silence. Cub didn’t jump this time like he had before, but didn’t seem to acknowledge the words either. He just stared blankly down at the clean porcelain plates. “I should have-“

“Save it.” Alex interrupted, breaking from his trace with a shake of his head. He moved once more, reaching forward and began serving himself breakfast with a frown tugging at his lips. “I.. I don’t want any apologies. I don’t want any ‘I should haves’ or ‘I could haves’… There’s no point in apologizing for something that can’t be changed.” 

He paused, his brows furrowing as he pulled a pancake onto his plate and couldn’t get himself to look at Snake. “But I.. I appreciate it. So thank you.” 

With a little nod in Snakes direction, still unable to make eye contact with the older gentleman, Alex quickly made his way out of the kitchen and into the living room. He didn’t know why he didn’t accept the apology and couldn’t quite give a proper reason. He had the slightest notion that what happened at Brecon Beacons wasn’t entirely the units fault and it wasn’t like Alex had been an easy new addition the second time around either. But accepting something like that in this moment didn’t feel right. Why did it take bruises on his arms and insults to his face for someone to realize that maybe what was happening was wrong? Why did it have to go this far? The apology was still appreciated and it did alleviate some of the weight from his chest and he hoped that acceptance would come soon- but it wouldn’t feel right if it did automatically. He was sure that Snake had felt the same way. 

Alex lowered himself in front of the TV, thoughts racing through his head and he drowned them out with the white noise of the tele. Ian wasn’t big on Alex watching television, and the teenager really didn’t have the patience to just sit and watch something if he wasn’t watching with people, but the television did make a quick and easy statement to tell people to stay away. No sooner did he sit down that Eagle finally made his appearance, skipping down the steps with an energy that was unheard of during the morning hours of the day.  


Eagle was an interesting figure, Alex still unsure of how to feel about the wild man and finding him fun but just a bit too unpredictable for Alex’s comfort levels- He still didn’t know what he did as a career. The Welsh man bounded into the living room, fully dressed and ready to go on this little trip. He had a white splotch of sunscreen on his nose that spread slightly across his cheeks, his trunks were of rather obnoxious and almost blinding colors, and tucked under his arm was a yellow duck floatation ring that quacked every time the beak was squeezed.

"Morning Cubby-Kins! Morning Snakey-Poo!" Eagle greeted, promptly dropping the ducky on the floor by the door and quickly bolting his way into the kitchen to devour whatever food Snake had made. The serpent couldn’t but chuckle and roll his eyes, having already set a plate up for the wild man. Eagle seemed to have a pit in his stomach and the ability to eat everything and anything and was definitely a fun one to be around at parties. Alex had made a mental note upon meeting Eagle the second time to never, ever, let that man meet Tom Harris. The two of them would become unstoppable. 

"Really? Snakey-poo?" Snake asked with a raised eyebrow, watching as Eagle dragged two more pancakes onto his premade plate.

"Yes, my dear Snakey-Poo, that is who you are.” Eagle hummed with a bit of childish pride, putting down his fork to dotingly pat the top of Snakes head. The pet man swatted at Eagle, giving him a look of disapproval that didn’t last very long. The energetic man then felt it would be the proper time to explain the rest of his nicknames, just because he knew it would raise the annoyance level. “Wolf is Wolfie, Bear is the Teddy Bear, if Fox were here he'd be Foxy-Boy and Cub is my Cubby-Wubby-Kins."

"I am not your Cubby-Wubby-Kins!" The young teen protested as he flipped through the channels, his headache forming at a remarkably quick pace ever since Eagle skipped his merry way into the room. Alex took a bite of his pancake, pouting into it and shaking his head at the extension of a nickname. Didn’t that defeat the purpose? What was _wrong_ with this man?

"Yessss you aarreeeee." Eagle sang teasingly, only falling quiet when Snake gave him a pointed look. The surgeon grabbed Eagle’s arm and pulled him a further into the kitchen, his hand sliding up from the birds wrist and onto his tattooed shoulder, then leaned forward to whisper something into the soldiers ear. 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were talking about, nor did it take any super spy skills either. Alex didn’t know if Snake was trying to be secretive or not, didn’t know if the man genuinely didn’t want Alex to see him spread the news- but he doubted it. They both knew that the information would be passed on at some point, but Alex would admit that he didn’t realize the information would be released so soon. He had anticipated a week at minimum, not knowing how fast and quick witted Snake actually was.  
Perhaps Alex should keep a closer eye on that man.  


The conspiring soldiers knew better then to glance over at their target of conversation and were making a point to look away, but that didn’t change the sudden feeling of a thousand eyes watching his every move. Alex visibly shuddered, wondering if Bear really did get into his head.  


He sighed and continued to flick through the channel guide, frowning at the various boring television shows. Everything was either a rerun or a toxic news site, nothing on was ever decent. With nothing to distract his mind, his thoughts quickly wandered back to the two soldiers and the questions came again. Why now? Was it because there was visible evidence? Why now, and not when they were back at a training session and Bear caused him to stumble into one of the traps? He shook his head again, hating that today seemed to be a day of questions. He wasn’t supposed to care anymore, this entire thing was worthless and wasn’t doing anything to help him. It wasn’t like life could get better and none of this was making much sense anyway. Alex thought it would be easier to just stop asking questions, and he had for the longest time- but this morning decided to change all of that and he didn’t know how to feel about it. 

A sudden “OH MY GOD!” Disrupted what was once a calm silence, the sound coming from Eagle and Alex couldn’t help but groan. “Change it back to Spongebob!” 

The man suddenly raced over, Alex could hear his loud and thundering footsteps as the soldier approached the couch and effectively leaped over the back of it. His momentum carried his food forward, but in some miraculous move Eagle had managed to catch and rebalance his pancakes all while sticking a proper landing. Though this landing was almost directly on top of Cub, who had managed to move out of the way within milliseconds of being crushed. Alex frowned and grumbled, putting his plate down on the table and as far away from Eagle as possible to ensure that the plate wouldn’t get knocked down by the man-child. Despite his grumbling, he obliged to the mans request and returned to Nickelodeon. 

_"Woow," Said the dumb sponge, staring at the thousands upon thousands of mattresses around them. "How many mattresses do you think there are?"_

_"Ten." The just as dumb, if not dumber, pink starfish answered._

__

_"Cool."_

Alex stared at the TV with a bored expression, not finding anything amusing about the joke and quite frankly not understanding it. It was a show that Tom had enjoyed though, and evidently so did Eagle. He vaguely wondered if the similarities between the two had anything to with the idiotic sea creature and he really wouldn’t be surprised. Hadn’t there been a report that Spongebob lowered brain cells? It would explain a lot. Alex had decided he didn’t want any part of this early morning marathon, grabbing his plate and getting up off of the couch.  


This didn’t last long though, as strong arms were suddenly wrapped around his torso and had pulled him back. The movement startled Alex just enough to drop his plate, silverware cluttering on the floor as he found himself locked against Eagle. He realized that he had been dragged into Eagle’s lap, much to his own embarrassment, and despite the squirming he couldn’t seem to escape the mans hold.  
Damn these SAS soldiers and their giant muscles.

"Hi my cubby-wubby-kins!" Eagle greeted, nuzzling affectionately into Alex’s shoulder and bouncing his knees. 

“Let. Go.” Alex snarled, fingers prying at the soldiers arms and unable to set himself free. He huffed in annoyance, the bouncing only making his embarrassment worse. If this was what Snake had told Eagle to do, Alex was prepared to have a serious word with the man. “Haven’t you ever heard of personal space?” 

“Don’t kill him!” Snake called out to the duo, the amusement in his voice only confirming what Alex believed. Asshole. 

“I won’t!” Eagle chirped back, far too pleased with himself. 

“I was talking to Cub.”

The comment made Alex smirk, an amused huff leaving him and he took a moment to stop fighting Eagle off. Well played Scott, well played. The smirk was gone with the shake of his head and Alex went back to the work of prying Eagle off of him. The mans grip only seemed to strengthen, a big smile flashed back at Snake before it faded away once his attention was pulled back to the teenager in his arms. He stopped bouncing his knees and loosened his hold just a bit, 

“You should have said something. If we had known that he was physically assaulting you then we would have _done_ something.” 

Alex scoffed, the reality of the words immediately bringing up his defenses. It… it wasn’t like that, it was more complicated than that. The irritation boiled again, the teenager once more aggravated at the fact that these men think they would have done something. They were around, weren’t they?

“Don’t you have a show to watch?” Alex hissed, elbowing the soldiers ribs and pushing himself out of Eagles hold. He avoided eye contact with the other, well aware of the scowl on his face as he snatched the plate from the table and stalked back into the kitchen. God, why did this morning have to be such a complicated one? Why did these men suddenly decide that they wanted to care?  


Alex threw his plate into the sink and flicked on the water, letting out his aggression on the plate with the scrub. Why.. why now? And why was he getting so emotional about it? His emotions had been blocked out, Bear had driven him numb, there had been no connection with Snake or Eagle or even Wolf anymore- the past few weeks have been filled with nothing, he couldn’t even remember how half the days went by. Yet, all in one morning, relief and anger had flooded through his veins with nowhere to go, irritation and sadness clutched at his chest and squeezed his lunges. Where did these emotions come from? 

He could feel eyes locked on him, momentarily forgetting that Snake had been in the kitchen. Alex’s cheeks went pink again, embarrassed that Snake had watched him throw around the plates like a child having a temper tantrum, when really Alex was just mad at himself. Cub was prepared to get scolded, gently putting down the plate and sponge and making a point to avoid eye contact with Snake. 

“Cub.” The man started, Alex bracing himself and he couldn’t help but feel a little bit of relief. Good, he knew the kindness was short lived so that means things could just go back to normal. There was another pause as Snake waited for the teenager to make eye contact with him. 

Alex looked up in shame, mumbling a small “Yeah?”

“Go find your friends or something.” Snake said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You don’t have to come out on the boat with us. Besides, you need some friends your age.” 

The teenager stared at him with shock and confusion evident on his face, his mind racing. Did.. did Snake really just say what he thought he did? That he didn’t have to go? He tried to muster words, but he couldn’t. That was a total of two choices in one day and it was becoming a little too much handle. 

“I-I’m sure you have friends that have been wondering where you’ve been!” Snake continued, but seemed to be fishing for words over knowing exactly what to say. He was really just trying to fill the silence Alex had left behind. It was Snakes turn to be taken aback, his eyes widening and his stuttering coming to a stop as Alex began to shake his head. 

“I can’t…” The boy said, his brows furrowing as he finally got his thoughts in order. "I.. I haven’t been to school in who knows how long, and even when I was going there were these rumors and… And I guess everyone just drifted off- even if I reached out, it’s not like they’d answer.” 

‘ _And that’s not a situation I want to risk them being in._ ’ Alex finished in his head, figuring it was better this way. He knew that Scorpia was no longer a threat, but where one power fell- another rose up to claim it. It was better to be cut off as there was no reason to bring more civilians into the crossfire- he had already done enough damage in that regard. 

“They must not have been very good friends then.” Snake commented, tilting his head to the side. 

Alex didn’t take offense to that, “No.. no it’s really not that. If I were in their position, I would have thought the same thing if I’m going to be completely honest… There’s only one person left and I-... yeah..” 

He couldn’t find it in him to finish his sentence as his thoughts race to Tom. His best friend probably believed he was dead after hearing about Jack and Alex hadn’t even made the attempt to contact him. It was better this way, it had to be. He wouldn’t survive with another death on his shoulders. Alex realized this still left him the option of having a day away from the K Unit and just staying in the little flat by himself. As tempting as the offer was- he was too hesitant to take it. He didn’t like the K Unit, but Alex has a bad history of alone time biting him in the ass. At least he would have back up with the unit in case anything were to happen. 

“I’ll go with you guys.” Alex said, mildly surprise by the relief and sudden calm that he felt when he gave the answer. “This house is getting stuffy, and maybe I’ll get a nice tan while we’re at it. I should go apologize to Eagle...” 

He didn’t know if it was the option that made him change his mind about going, or if it was something entirely different. Regardless, he had said yes and he did not necessarily feel bad about it. Cub shot Snake a smile, moving to depart with a nod but was caught by the medic. 

“Cub..” Snake started for the second time that day, before shaking his head and starting with an entirely different tone. “Alex… Are you okay?” 

The question was a dumb one, but they both knew that. Alex felt his chest constrict as his real name slipped from Snakes lips, the tension from when he had been grabbed relaxed without his say. For a moment, he wanted to give Snake the real answer- he wanted to scream, shout, cry, and hit the things he needed to. He wanted to tell the medic everything, beg him to take these memories from him, ask for advice on how to get more than three restless hours a night, ask him how on earth can he forgive himself for all the damage he’s caused.

“... Yeah,” Alex answered, his words hitching just a bit and he closed his eyes. He sighed heavily, feeling the exhaustion and weight on his shoulders before turning back to Snake with a half-hearted smile. “I’m just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments below, as well as welcome any suggestions! This is a series of one-shots based around Alex and his forming relationship with K-Unit. It has the potential to become its own story, but the likeliness of that isn’t very high simply because I don’t trust myself to have the energy to complete it. Feel free to use Bear as you wish, and feel free to suggest what predicitament you would like to see these unit members in next!
> 
> Toodles 
> 
> \- Hollow
> 
> (Previously posted on FF.net under username Savegly Incoherent. Original Wordcount: 2,905, New Wordcount: 7,399)


End file.
